I’ve found myself in a fixer upper in Siem Reap. So, curious to see what local architectural identity consists of, I ended up spending hours one afternoon taking photos at Theam’s gallery.
Born in 1969, Lim Muy Theam’s family survived the Khmer Rouge regime and arrived in France as refugees in 1980. According to his bio, he was educated at École Boulle, Beaux-Arts and Arts Décoratifs; his aesthetic is very much idealized Khmer with strong European influence.
His declared mission is to revive traditional and innovative modes of Cambodian arts and crafts by training local artisans. Onsite there’s an extensive gift shop of his work, that of his protégés, and a collection of the best pieces from other local shops, including IKTT and Artisans d’Angkor . . . all gathering dust, as tourists to Siem Reap generally do not have the budget to spend on this sort of thing, and, even if they did, are more the hiker/backpacker type than the sort who bring home handwoven silk panels and lacquer triptychs, and, even if they were, they’d undoubtedly find the source before they found Theams. So, the admission fee is $5 USD, and I do think it’s worth it.
The place is a series of architectural and decorative arts vignettes, composed entirely of traditional crafts and motifs, studded with a few genuine antiques. The skill and taste level here is often mid, but occasionally striking, and rather more delightful when you understand and witness the place as a living document, an open workshop. Theam himself was on the premises when I visited, directing some roofing and repainting of a façade; he noticed me but did not introduce himself. In addition to the introduction to the language of Khmer aesthetics, the thing I appreciated most is his color sense- very different from mine, but I don’t dislike it. Dark chocolate woods and gemtone paints and fabrics figure heavily.
Since visiting the gallery, I’ve looked at these photos countless times for renovation inspiration.
